Twins of Fate
by Thabet
Summary: Thabet is a normal boy with a happy life, but when he witnesses murder firsthand, his whole life takes a turn for the worse. Now he is on the run from a mad criminal. With only his Treecko for help they must survive long enough to fight back!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one: Unlikely Beginnings**

Gravel groaned in protest as I made my way to Birch's laboratory at the fringe of the forest. I felt ready, ready to get my first Pokémon and begin an already delayed journey. I felt ready,  
that was until I found out Birch wasn't even there.

"A vacation! Why in the world would a Professor want to take a vacation!"

"Hey don't look at me!" his lab aide replied putting her hands up in surrender, "You're the one who didn't show up last week!"

I didn't like his aide, she looked like a Poochyena and had eyes like a Spearow.

"I had a cold!" I yelled, "sheesh!"

"Well tough luck, come back next week. Besides I heard the Sevii Islands are great this time of year, if  
he's smart he'll move there." She smirked.

I glared at her as I turned to make my leave, stomping out. So here I am, mad and miserable, stuck here because on that day, the day when I would leave, I had caught a cold confining me to my bed the whole day.

I went home and headed to my room to prepare myself for an exciting day sulking in my room about the delay to my journey, when a scream rent the air.

"Thabet! Get down here!" My mom called.

After rushing downstairs I was shocked to find my family or most of it (my father was off on a business trip to Johto) confronting a Treecko. The little geecko-like Pokémon was green all over with a strong tail used for bashing, and had skinny arms and legs that had hooked claws enabling him to crawl up and down walls. It was huddled in a corner as two of my brothers were preparing to jump it, my mother stood behind them with only a broom as her weapon while my youngest brother hid behind her.

Apparently, my mom was sweeping when she spotted the thing, and of course being the eldest I had become the terminator of the household.

I watched as my brothers were knocked away with two swift blows to the head, they had bumps the size of apples after be whacked by its tail. My family looked at it with disgust, I looked in awe, he was trapped, outnumbered yet he refuses to give in, I respected him.

My mother begged to differ, just as my mother swung the broom to squash the pokemon, I decided to be a hero.  
Big mistake.

BONK!

Stars danced around my eyes as I stood protectively over the Treecko.

"Don't kill it!" I protested. I could feel a welt grow on my head but my mother wasn't exactly rushing to offer an apology.

"But its big eyes are creepy and it crawls all over the wall!" she argued.

"Oh come on, cut him some slack. Who knows green could be the color of the season." Okay, I'm bad at jokes. "Look I'll get rid of him, I'll take him to the forest, okay?"

"Fine, but do it quickly." she said as she marched off. My brothers –clutching their heads- followed her out of the room.

I checked up on the Treecko, wrapped up a cut on his upper left leg, and carried him outside of the house and towards the forest leading to Oldale town.

At the edge of the forest, I laid him down, looking at me in confusion. I felt awkward just leaving like that, so I decided to talk to him before I left.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye."

I felt increasingly awkward.

"Nice meeting you, even if you did cost me half my brain cells" I said pointing to my head.  
All he did was turn around and limp off on three legs. I watched him leave until I could see him no more.

… Two days later …

I was poking around my cereal that morning when my mom reminded me about me about my job at the Pokemart at Oldale town. I worked there part-time with my Uncle who owns the place, I go there twice a week and spend the night at his house. He calls it an "internship", yeah right, just a way to get work done without a paycheck.

I left my family at the table discussing my dad's return to get ready. I'd have to cross the forest to get Oldale, it was dangerous to go without a Pokémon but I had none so I had to muddle through alone.

I put on my regular black fleece over my blue jeans to get ready. I looked in my mirror to see my brown-haired green-eyed reflection staring back at me.

As I tied on my black shoes I thought about the weird events that kept occurring through the last couple of days, I keep hearing a weird rustling around me, I thought it was a Zigzagoon at first but its getting more frequent.

Anyway, I finished getting ready and after trying to tame my unruly hair, I headed to the forest. As I walked through I felt oddly jumpy so I began whistling in a vain attempt to calm myself down.  
Bad idea.

Slowly, yet menacingly a pack of Poochyena emerged from the undergrowth, their backs arced and their hairs bristling they growled at me. I knew that if I ran away I would be killed, period. They were stronger and faster than I was, yet instinctively I ran away.

A blow to the small of my back sent me to the ground and at their mercy, yet just before they were going to pounce and make Pokechow out of me, a shadow slammed into the Pokémon, I immediately identified it as the Treecko! There he stood fighting them off , defending me, the old white cloth I used to wrap his wound was still there even though he was obviously healed.

"Watch out!" I yelled in warning.

The Treecko swiftly pounded the little Pokémon sending them scurrying off in dismay. He then turned to me, offering his tail in greeting. I shaked it in disbelief,

"You've been following me all this time?"

He nodded.

"Well you saved my life, so how about we hang out a bit? I'm heading towards Oldale town."  
In response, he climbed up my back clinging with his claws.

"Talk about hitching a ride."

END OF CHAPTER ONE


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two: Its Rude to Stare**

As me and my newfound friend stumbled through the woods, I began to think that maybe, just maybe if he wanted to come along, I could begin my journey, no need to ask professor Birch for anything. After all, I had begun thinking about leaving anyway, and finding some trainer to catch me a Zigzagoon or a Taillow. But with Treecko, I wouldn't need anybody's help  
and I could start with one of my original choices of Pokémon.

A plan began to form in my head, I thought about supplies, items and a bag. I could get them from my uncle at the Pokemart, besides he kind of owed me after my "Internship".

""Uh Treecko, well I've been thinking , maybe you would like to tag along with me, I mean that well I leaving Littleroot, so…."

Treecko gave me a puzzled look, it was obvious he wanted an explanation.  
I was at loss of words and was trying to come up with a way to ask him when suddenly,

BOOM! BANG!

A loud sound rocked the forest, apparently whoever or whatever made it didn't fear psychotic Poochyena because they weren't exactly quiet.

"Must be a Pokémon battle!" I whispered in excitement, I quickly followed the sound in search of its source. Little did I know it was much more than that.

In the middle of a clearing stood four figures shadowed by the trees. Two men, a Shroomish and a Pokémon I didn't recognize. Bruises and scratches decorated the round body of the Shroomish as it lay unmoving. The other Pokémon stood over it triumphantly, it had a short muddy brown body, and two thin clawed arms stemmed from the it. However, all this paled in comparison to the huge pincers emerging from its head.

One of the men lay on the ground at the other man's mercy, his white beard tangled from the strain of battle. The other man was a short and stocky with red hair. Even though he stood over the man menacingly, his eyes never spoke of evil. On the contrary they spoke of pain and suffering, this man had endured many hardships.

"You've lost, now fork over my money!" He yelled, a strain pleading traced is voice.

"I never wanted to battle you in the first place." The man pleaded, "Please!"

We stood there, hidden by the trees as we watched the spectacle before us in shock.

"Pinsir, come here. We have to persuade this nice man to pay his debts!" The red head called.

The Pokemon lumbered over to its victim and began strangling the man in its pincers.

"PIN-" Unlike its master, a tone of menace clouded its growl.

I wanted to help, but what could I do? I had no Pokémon, sure there was Treecko, but he wasn't mine, I couldn't risk his well-being on a whim. Then a part of me urged me to run, forget, nobody would know of my being in the first place. I was no Ash Ketchum with tons of Pokemon itching to fight.

I shifted my weight in indecision, and a twig broke under my weight, that's when all hell broke loose. The man and his pet abomination stared in my direction.

Me and Treecko froze in fear.

"That boy has seen everything, get him!" he screamed, the Pinsir released his victim retching and came towards me.

"RUN!" I ran off as fast as my feet could carry me, as they burned from the sudden strain I felt like I could've given a Dodrio a run for its money. From the corner of my eye as I dashed by, I could glimpse Treecko swinging from tree to tree in earnest.

I thought I had lost them when something hard grasped my leg, it was the Pinsir! I had no idea how it caught me but I didn't ponder it. It began to put pressure, crushing my leg when Treecko swooped down from above smacking it hard on the eye. It howled, smarting from it wound it released my leg and began its assault on Treecko with one-minded rage.

Treecko dodged its every attack only to Pound it again, The Pokemon swatted at it as it rolled and hit again, despite his efforts, it managed to catch him and started to crush him between its pincers.

For some reason that made me angry, made my blood boil, with a running start I kicked it in the same injured eye. With yet another cry of pain it released Treecko as I picked him up in my arms.

The now one-eyed pokemon looked at me without focus, and I noticed the shadowy figure of the man running towards us, I realized I had no time left.

I looked around quickly, and a river caught my eye, it was swift with a fast current. I remembered a boy almost drowned there last year, yet without thinking, I held Treecko close and jumped in.

The man let out a angry scream as I was swept away by the river's relentless current….

END OF CHAPTER TWO


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Justice isn't Blind, its Deaf**

"Oh come on, you've got to believe me!"

"Yeah right."

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

The policeman sized me up, he had a jelly doughnut all over his lap, his sprinkle covered mouth cracked a smirk.

"No, you look like you're crazy." He chuckled, his potbelly heaving up and down.

"Great, Thanks for nothing." I walked out of the crowded police station. "Jerk." I muttered under my breath.

I had managed to get out of the river a mile away from Oldale town, soaking wet and carrying Treecko I took him to the Pokémon center to check him up. After that, I went to the Oldale police station to tell them about my riveting experience with a freak and his Pinsir.

Oldale's finest just laughed, calling it a story good enough for the paper, seeing as the paper was a rag anyway, I had just secured myself a job as a writer.

The sun was setting over the mountaintops of Hoenn, I figured that there wasn't much left to do anyway, so I headed to my uncle's house to spend the night. After all, I was supposed to come and work at the Pokemart, anyway.

When got there I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, and it opened with a slight creak. My uncle's thin face peered from the door's crack, his eyes widened when he saw me and hurried to open the door.

"Where have you been?" He demanded, "I had to hire the kid next door to cover your shift, I had to pay twenty bucks! And WHY are you soaking wet!"

I gave him the I-don't-give-a-Ratatta's-ass look as I walked in. My uncle was a very tall man with a thin face and as you might have already guessed from his scolding, money is a priority on his list even though he's really a nice guy.

"I got caught up, and uh, fell in a river." I managed, I had decided against telling him about my day, seeing as I was in trouble already. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed." I announced as I headed to my room.

I took off my clothes to dry off and got into bed, as I waited for sleep to overcome me, I thought about the man who didn't seem evil. Despite his actions I could tell, I could see it in his eyes, even though he didn't hesitate to try and kill me when he spotted us. Strangely enough, it was that Pinsir who haunted my dreams that night.

The Pinsir stood in front of me, a corpse lay behind it. I tried to look around it to indentify the victim, then I noticed to my horror that there was blood on its pincers. It was the killer.

"PIN-" it hissed angrily, it took a step towards me. It opened its pincers wide to accommodate me, to crush me , to kill me. "PINSIR!" It lunged.

"NO!" I woke up in cold sweat, I wasn't being crushed, I was in bed. I couldn't sleep for fear of its return.

During my sleepless night , I realized this man would surely hunt me down. He would kill me, I had seen something that I shouldn't have seen. He could be tracking me now, I would have to leave to protect those I loved. My only hope was to flee, become stronger and train, I would have to catch Pokémon, challenge gyms and defeat trainers, whatever it took. Only then I could remove him as a threat, If the authorities weren't going to help, than I would help myself.

It was a game of Magikarp and Meowth, I was the Magikarp. To save myself, I would have run until I evolve into Gyrados.

I was on the run.

The next day, I put on my dry clothes and went down stairs to find my uncle fixing breakfast,

"Morning, Thabet."

"Morning." Then I remembered about my decision to leave Littleroot, "I have been thinking, I've decided to leave. " I said nervously, I was expecting him to flip out as soon as I said that.

"Leaving?" He repeated.

"Yeah."

"Okay, your father called earlier, he wanted to talk to you." He said absentmindedly, I was surprised to hear that. "He wanted to make sure you get this."

I couldn't believe my ears, I was talking about leaving and he barely raises his eye to even question my motives. What's more is he laid a small white package on the table, it was wrapped beautifully with a red ribbon, a small tag read on it.

TO: THABET

FROM: YOUR OLD MAN

You are now old enough to make your own future. Here is something to help you do that.

I quickly ripped off the paper to uncover a device. It was all red and opened like a notepad in my palm, revealing a wide screen and a Pokeball-like button to scroll around.

"That won't work until you get your first Pokémon." My uncle reminded me

I recognized the device from a picture in a magazine, it was called a Pokedex. It was used to identify Pokémon and served as an ID for trainers during their various transactions. If I were to challenge a gym or participate in any official event I would need this.

I sat there drooling over my awesome gift when my uncle brought me back to Earth,

"You know, your dad isn't the only one who gives gifts here." He pulled out a brown backpack and handed it to me. It seemed big enough to fit a lot of supplies in it, yet small enough to be carried around easily, the bag also had many pockets to hold smaller items.

"These are your supplies. Consider it a salary after all this time." He told me as I opened the bag, it had everything in it. Pokeballs, potions, rope and even a some Repels.

I was at loss for words after receiving all these amazing gifts.

"We were waiting until you would tell us about your departure, I have kept this stuff so you could get them when you were ready." he smiled.

"You were expecting me to leave?"

"Of course, we didn't expect you to stay forever. After the delay to your journey last week we knew you would leave anytime, so we were ready." He said calmly. "Just make sure you call your mother before you leave, it was her idea you know."

"Okay, anyway I have to go see a friend." I said impatiently, I stuffed the Pokedex in my pocket as I turned to leave.

"Come back and visit when you get the chance!" he called as I left the house.

Deep down, I knew that wouldn't happen for some time.

Heaving my new bag, I rushed to the center to see my friend. Treecko was sitting up in his bed and was obviously bored with the center. He was glad to see me and offered his tail in greeting, he seemed much better. Then I remembered my proposition, my offer.

"Treecko, I'm leaving Littleroot, I mean Oldale at least and well, I was wondering if you would come with me as partners."

He stared at me, making me feel stupid. His eyes were boring into mine sizing me up, judging me. Then he closed his eyes and nodded.

"So its yes?" I asked in disbelief.

He nodded again.

I reached inside my bag and pulled out one of the six pokeballs that my uncle had given me and pressed the button in the middle, a bright beam shot out of the ball and hit Treecko.

In a flash of light, he was dissolved and sucked into the ball, tying our fates together.

END OF CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four: The Escape

Treecko took being in a Pokeball surprisingly well, and I booked a room at the Pokémon center for the night. I knew it was better to be alone after I had left my uncle's house, I didn't want to risk being him around any longer. I would leave tomorrow before everyone got up, just after first light. But first I had to call someone.

"So you've finally decided to leave?" My mom sighed.

"Yeah, mom." I replied. She thought I was going on a journey, not that my life was in danger.

"Okay, but find a companion. Don't travel alone, it's safer." She said sternly, but I couldn't do that either. They would slow me down, and I couldn't risk another life.

"Sure thing, mom." I lied. I felt terrible, I didn't want to part my mother with false promises.

"Mom, I have to go." I muttered.

"All right, be safe." She said sensing my discomfort, "Good bye."

"B-Bye." I whispered.

I returned to my room and forced myself to sleep.

The Pinsir visited me yet again in my dreams, I didn't know what to do. I spent yet another sleepless night pondering what my life had become. I didn't want to spend my life looking behind my shoulder in fear, yet I had no choice. All I wanted to do was to get my starter Pokémon and leave, now I was on the run. I was leaving everyone and everything I know to run away, I felt like a coward. I would have to cut my relations with everyone. Family, friends even strangers, they could lead him to me or be put in danger.

The sun began to rise from the Hoenn mountaintops and it's rays of light slowly began to creep through the land. Soon the Pokémon center would come back to life, and would hum with activity. It would be dangerous to stay after that, the less I was seen the better.

I quietly put on my blue jeans and my black fleece. After tying on my shoes and heaving my bag, I left my room at the Pokemon center. I left the key at the door for them to take it and left, the usually busy lobby was empty save for Nurse Joy, a busy Chansey and a trainee Happiny.

Halfway across the lobby, the Pokemon center door slid open and a man walked in. He wore a blue police uniform and headed for the front desk. I figured he wasn't a threat and continued across the lobby. When I noticed his red hair, I stopped in my tracks abruptly, I looked closely and noticed he was showing Nurse Joy a picture. I dared to look closer and to my shock, it was a picture of me!

Nurse Joy studied the picture carefully, then pointed straight at me. The man whirled around to look at me, it was the same man from the forest! His eyes shown with menace as he made his way to me. All I did was turn tail and run.

"Hey you, stop!" He shouted.

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, "Treecko, I need you!" I exclaimed, I threw the Pokeball in the air and Treecko burst out with a flash of light. I quickly ran through the center, Mr. Mimes protested as I ran through the kitchen, suddenly I came to a dead-end inside a storage room. The shelves were lined with brands of Pokemon and human food, vegetables were strewn across the floor after our entry.

"It's a dead-end!" I gasped, but Treecko pointed to a small tunnel in the wall. I pulled off the door to uncover an air vent, supposedly it would lead outside and get us out of here , but there was one problem.

"Uh Treecko, I-I-I'm not going in there." I stuttered, Treecko looked at me in surprise. I took a deep breath. "I-I get cluster phobic." I murmured, I was scared of small, tight areas, Elevators, tunnels, cages and such . I was afraid I would be trapped inside.

Treecko looked about ready to rip my head off, I understood how he felt. Here we were running away from a criminal and I was refusing to escape through an air vent because I was afraid. He simply glared at me angrily.

"We'll talk about this later, return!" I said pointing the Pokeball at him. The red beam of light dissolved him and sucked him inside. I wasn't sure why I returned him then, partly because I was ashamed of myself, partly because of that scary look he was giving me. My string of thoughts was suddenly broken by the roar of the man trying to find me. I hid behind the open storage room door and waited for him to come.

" Where are you?" he teased as he searched for me. I waited in silence for him to come, gradually his voice became louder as he came closer to my hiding spot. He poked his head into the room.

"Pika b- ARGH!" he yowled in pain when I kicked the door straight into his face.

"Better luck next time!" I yelled as I ran past him while he clutched his nose in agony.

I ran up a flight of stairs. Heading to any room, I opened a random door to find three female trainers who awoke after I kicked the door open. They shrieked in horror upon my entry, covering themselves with the beddings. I blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry ladies!" I shouted as I barreled through the room. I opened the window and looked below, even though I was on the second floor I wasn't up very high and there was some bushes to cushion my fall. "Wake up already, its morning!" I protested, as they buffeted me with their pillows, shoes and anything within arm's reach. I hurriedly jumped out of the window to escape the wrath of the girls who were about ready to kill me, too.

The bushes didn't cushion my fall as I would've favored but they stopped me from breaking my leg with the shock of the landing. Nevertheless, my knees buckled as I hit the ground and I felt a searing pain in my left leg when I tried to stand up.

I limped away as far as I could from the center, I didn't stop until I reached the woods leading to Petalburg city. Only then did I feel safe enough to rest, the trees would hide me from my predator. As I lay there massaging my leg, there was only one thing I could think of.

The hunt had begun.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five : The forest

During the rest of the day of my escape from the center, I planned my journey. I would have to make my trip to Petalburg City a short one. There I could stock up on supplies and continue towards Rustboro city. Until then, I would have to move quickly, train and hopefully catch a new Pokémon.

Luckily, my injured leg had healed during my stay in the forest, during which I survived on some food I packed before I left. I knew it would be a difficult task for the man to find me amongst the dense undergrowth, but I didn't want risk staying in an area for too long. If I was on the run, I would have to think two steps ahead of my hunter.

Being the prey sucks.

As I walked through the dense forest, I surveyed my surroundings warily. I felt as if anything was a threat, yet nothing surprised me. The trees shadowed me while still letting an occasional ray of sunlight to break through the canopy, and the sweet smell of flowers and fresh air filled my nostrils and cleared my mind. I could hear the cries of Zigzaggon and the screech of a Taillow as it would soar by or the soft rustling of the leaves as the wind caressed it gently. My senses were working overtime, I felt confident and strong amongst such activity, such life.

I decided to rest under a tree to eat lunch. I found a young tree that had a nice comfortable spot to rest and laid my bag there, and began rummaging in it for something eat. I had already eaten most of my food the day before when my leg was injured so I had to settle for a measly lunch composed of half a beef sandwich and an apple. However, there was someone I was forgetting, Treecko.

I wasn't sure about how things between us were after our misunderstanding at the center, but I supposed I had to explain things. At that time, he was the only one I could trust, we had to be a team if we were to survive, even if we weren't the oldest of friends. I pulled out his Pokeball nervously and threw it in the air.

The ball exploded letting out a flash of light, then Treecko appeared glaring at me.

"Uh, look I'm sorry." I began.

He simply stared some more.

"I refused to go through the tunnel because I'm afraid of small tight areas." I explained. "I'm afraid of being trapped inside or something." I continued, I hoped he would understand, maybe even forgive me. " In the end, we made it out safe!" I concluded.

He glared at me pointedly, and then sat down in front of me.

I took that as a good sign, "Hey look, I got an apple and a sandwich." I goaded, waving them in front of him.

He crossed his arms, giving me the so-what look, then he got up and walked off.

I watched him walk off in annoyance, "He ditched me!" I complained. I sat there fuming with rage, until I directed my wrath to my lunch. Unfortunately in only took me five minutes to finish it, so I took out my Pokedex to try it out a bit.

"POKEDEX UNIT ONLINE." The machine voice stated. "UNIT BELONGS TO THABET ZATREH"

"It knows my name, now that's co-OW! What the-" Clutching my head, I looked up to find Treecko staring at me. In his arms were a bunch of berries. Oran, Pecha and even Sitrus, my jaw dropped in disbelief. "Where did you get them?"

He simply shrugged, it was obvious he didn't want to tell me.

Then both us began devouring our berry feast. I savored the sweet taste of the Pecha berry and the mixed flavors of the Oran and Sitrus berries, they were gratifying and filling. When we had our fill of berries there remained only five, three Oran, one Pecha and a Sitrus berry. I was going to put the berries in my bag to save them for later when a swift shadow from above swooped down and snatched a berry.

"Hey!" I called, "Give that back!" The shadow was a Taillow that had decided to crash our party.

This was a perfect opportunity to train Treecko and get him ready to fight the man hunting us . After all, this running away thing was temporary. Sooner or later, we have to would fight back, but until then we would have to run.

"Treecko, get ready," I said. Immediately Treecko went into battle stance, ready to fight. "Treecko attack that Taillow!" I ordered, he quickly ran up the tree that the Taillow perched on and hit it hard with his tail. The sparrow-like Taillow fell off in surprise and flew up to meet his adversary. This was a battle in the treetops, all I could do was order attacks and hope for the best.

I remembered the Pokedex and took it out to scan the Taillow. It gave me some nonsense about it being young, afraid and crying when it was alone.

"Useless!" I growled angrily, I stuffed it in my pocket again. I figured it would be best to lower the Taillow's defensive capabilities before we attack. "Treecko, use leer!" I called from below. Treecko gave the Taillow a terrifying look, like the ones my mother would give me when she caught me stealing a cookie. Shivers ran down the bird's spine. "Now Treecko, pound it!" He quickly whacked the bird again and it began to fall dazed from the attack.

It seemed we had won when suddenly, it became stronger and fiercer. It pecked Treecko hard, and then slammed him again and again with its outstretched wings. Treecko was losing and there wasn't much I could do. I had one choice, I pulled out my Pokeball and pointed it at Treecko.

"Treecko, return!" He was sucked in immediately. The Taillow was surprised at his enemy's sudden disappearance. That was my chance, I took off running as fast as I could.

Back at our resting spot, I had given Treecko a Oran berry to help him regain his strength. He seemed very angry and depressed about his loss. I wanted to cheer him up when an unfamiliar voice greeted us.

"You call that a battle?" It laughed.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six: I unwillingly make a friend

"Who the heck are you?" I blurted out.

The boy had addressed me when I was talking to Treecko who was sitting next to me. The kid was taller than me, even though he looked my age. He wore a white T-shirt that read I OWN U on it, and black jeans. His long black hair shadowed his wide face which split in a smirk, a few twigs and leaves were stuck in his hair, I figured he had done some tree climbing. Strangely enough, the same Taillow we had battled before was perched on his shoulder.

"I saw the WHOLE thing! Man, and do you guys suck." He said.

"Is that your Taillow?" I said sheepishly, pointing at the little bird on his shoulder.

"Yeah, and you guys tried to beat it up? Ha! You never stood a chance," He guffawed.

I didn't like that. He treated us like amateurs, I knew that we were, but I didn't want to acknowledge that.

"Maybe you should teach Polly here some manners!" I growled angrily.

"Whoa, man. I wasn't trying to start something here. " He tried, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I just thought that you could use some advice," he explained.

I thought about what he said, I guess I did need some help. I didn't know much about battling, and I would need all the help I get in that area. Especially when my life depends on knowing what to do in a tight situation.

"Fine. You got a name?" I asked, standing up to see him eye to eye.

"The Sky Dude. I love flying Pokémon." He said adoringly.

I stifled my laughter. I felt like my ribs were going to crack from the strain, _"The Sky Dude"?_

"I guess all the good names were taken." I whispered to Treecko in between giggles, he began to crack up, too. "No seriously man, what's your name?" I said weakly, trying to compose myself.

"Mac." I said flatly, giving in to the absurdness of his nickname.

"Now that's a human name!" I said gratefully.

"Do want help or not?" He growled, annoyed by my behavior.

"Okay, fine. So what did I do wrong?" I said.

"Well, you picked the wrong fight. Treecko is a grass type and Taillow is a flying type Pokémon, he has the type advantage. Any attack I use will do double the damage. Also, you used the Pokedex wrong…."

We continued to talk strategy until sunset. I had learned a lot during our conversation about battling, and I had found a friend in Mac. With all the danger that was introduced in my life, I had almost forgotten the bliss of friendship or enjoying the thrill of a Pokémon trainer's journey. A thrill I would not get to experience.

As the sun began to set, we had both become very tired and hungry. The orange sun was beginning to disappear under the tall treetops and the grasslands began to fall into darkness, soon we wouldn't be able to see our own hands.

"Whew, I beat. I got to eat," he said. "Let's get a fire going and cook something." He said cheerfully.

"NO!" I shouted. It was a bad idea to start any fires, in this open grassland it would be beacon for the man to find me. Mac looked at me in surprise.

"I, uh, don't think it's a good idea. Um, there are… many wild Pokémon around." I mumbled in excuse.

I suddenly heard a soft rustling sound followed by a high pitched hiss.

"PINNNNNNNN-"

"Get down!" I hissed quickly, I tackled him to the ground.

"Huh, what's-" he tried, but I cupped my hand over his mouth to shut him up.

Not a moment too soon either, because after a few seconds after our hiding, my hunter appeared. This time he wore a black coat and black pants, and a white shirt was concealed under the coat. His red hair flickered in the moon light, giving the impression that his hair was on fire. The Pinsir stood next to him, it pincers clamped impatiently and its jaws opened and closed in excitement. Cold shivers ran down my spine, it would relish the chance to kill me. The man scanned the grassland carefully, his eyes shining with madness, but I could still see the pain in them. Little did he know that his prey was two feet away from him, helpless on the ground.

After two or three minutes, he beckoned the monster over and continued on. We didn't come out until a hour later for fear of his return.

"Who the hell was THAT!" He yelled when I finally released him.

"Th-that was my rival," I stammered, the less he knew the better. "There's some bad blood between us."

Mac eyed me suspiciously, he wasn't buying my lie.

"Your rival?" He parroted.

"Y-yeah"

"Whatever," he conceded to my surprise.

Neither of us slept easy that night, and when I finally fell asleep, the Pinsir paid me another visit in dreamland.

The next morning, we packed up and left. We were walking through the forest when Mac asked me a question.

"Where're you headed?" Mac asked.

"Petalburg." I answered.

"Cool. I'm headed there ,too. We'll go together." He said.

"I-I don't know, I need to get there fast. I'll probably stay for a day at most." I tried.

The truth was, I didn't want him around. He would slow me down and if he was seen around me he could be put in danger. The man wouldn't hesitate to use him as a hostage to get to me, or worse, kill him if he suspected I had told him about the murder. Bottom line, he couldn't be around me.

"Thabet?" Mac said, breaking my string of thought.

"Huh?"

"You sure that was your rival?" He said suspiciously. "You were trembling like a leaf when you saw him"

That wasn't good, he was snooping around. I had to come up with something, quick.

"I-I'm afraid of him," I stammered. "He beat me up once."

"And you were tossing and turning all night." He questioned.

"I get night terrors." I lied again.

"You have a lot of problems." He remarked.

"You don't know the half of it." I mumbled, rubbing my temples.

Soon enough, the thick forest opened up to reveal Petalburg City. The busy city was a new sight for my eyes after being in the forest for two days. I was hoping to leave quickly, hoping for an uneventful stay.

Little did I know that here my life would change, forever.

END OF CHAPTER SIX


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Disappearance in Petalburg

"Treecko, use absorb!" I barked.

Green tendrils of energy arced from Treecko's outstretched claws and hit the Seedot absorbing its energy. The acorn-like Pokémon collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"And the Treecko is the winner!" Announced the referee.

Me and Treecko howled in triumph and high-fived. The kid grumbled and passed over my prize money. I was going to start talking smack when Mac came over with our ice-cream.

"Good battle." He remarked.

"I was just lucky," I said in fake modesty.

We were sitting at the bench just relaxing, Mac had become my mentor, sort of. He had taught me a lot of things about battling, type advantages, synchronizing attacks and even proper Pokedex use. With his help, Treecko learned Absorb, his first grass attack.

"Mac?"

"Yeah?" He answered, still licking his ice-cream.

"Does Pinsir have a type advantage against Treecko?" I asked hesitantly.

He thought about it for a bit, his eyes going out of focus at that moment.

"Yeah, but a Pinsir can only learn one bug attack naturally, X-scissor. Besides he can't evolve, your Treecko can, two times." He said calmly. "Worried about your rival?" he added, with a hint of sarcasm.

"N-no," I stammered.

"Don't worry, when you finally face him you'll know what to do. Luck won't have anything to do with it." He said confidently, patting my shoulder.

I sighed. He didn't know the half it, this was no_ rival_, this was a murderer. He didn't want to beat me in battle, he wanted my head on a pike, with my eyes gouged for witnessing what shouldn't be witnessed. Mac had finished his cone and was getting up, dusting his pants.

"I have to go run some errands, I'll meet you in the Pokémon center this afternoon ," he said. "And remember, luck favors the trainer who doesn't include it in his plans," he added sagely.

"Where did you get that?" I asked in surprise.

"A fortune cookie," he said cheerfully, walking off.

After finishing my cone I got up and walked away, too. Since I had nothing to do, I figured I could go to the Pokmart to stock up on supplies. Walking in to the crowded store reminded me of the good old days, when I used worked at a Pokemart with my uncle in Oldale, when I wasn't running for dear life. The shelves were packed with merchandise, from Potions and Antidotes to nail clippers for your Pokémon and shampoo.

I bought some Potions, Antidotes and some Repels for the trip and left. I checked the time, it was still one thirty. I still had some time before I meet up with Mac and talk about the rest of our plans. I knew I still had to ditch him and forget about our trip together, for the good of both us and his own safety. It was simply too dangerous, I was thinking about how to break the news when I heard someone calling me.

"Hey kid, come here!" One of them called, obviously this guy was the ring leader. While the other goons were wearing pants and shirts several sizes too large, and had spiky hair that could impale someone, this guy was wearing a tight green and brown outfit, his long green hair combed to the side. His eyes were black holes of terror.

I didn't respond to the guy, that only angered him.

"Come here so I can kick your ass!" he hollered, reaching for a pokeball from his pocket.

I pulled out Treecko's Pokeball and threw it in the air, "Treecko, come out!" I called. The red and white ball exploded releasing a flash of light and then Treecko appeared.

"Vigoroth!" the punk shouted releasing his pokemon. A white sloth-like pokemon appeared growling at us. The most striking feature of the pokemon was it energy. It couldn't stand still for a second, it jumped up and down, spun its arms wildly and stomped the ground in anxiety. This wouldn't be easy.

I flipped out my Pokedex and used it like Mac had taught me. Instead of scanning it, I checked its movepool and stats. The results weren't good, while its natural movepool was normal and fighting attacks only, his Attack and Speed stats were above average.

"Treecko, pound that Vigoroth!"I ordered.

Treecko raced to the sloth quickly to hit it but it only caught his tail in mid-attack. Still holding Treecko tail, he slammed him down on the ground. I watched in horror at the savagery of the Pokemon. The boy only smiled darkly as the Vigoroth threw Treecko at a wall. Barely conscious, Treecko got up weakly grimacing in pain.

"Absorb, Treecko," I told him.

"Vigoroth, finish that eyesore." The teen said carelessly.

"NOOOO!" I yelled. The Vigoroth raised its claws to deliver the finishing blow, I thought I would never get to see Treecko again.

"ALTARIA! DRAGON CLAW!" A voice yelled, a blue light blinded me. When I was able to see again, I gasped in surprise, the Vigoroth was on the ground unconscious.

" Mac?" I asked in surprise.

He turned to grin at me, behind him flew a cloud with wings. The cloud had a blue head and feet, two long feathers sprouted from the head.

"Vig-Vig…., I'll get you for this!" He returned the Pokemon, beckoned his gang and ran off. Mac smirked as they ran off in dismay.

"No need to thank me, I still have some things to do. You can thank me later." He dismissed. "You owe me one by the way." he said happily, walking away quickly.

I already had quite a day, so I just headed to the Pokémon center to heal Treecko and get some lunch. When it was time to meet up again with Mac, I went upstairs to our room. I didn't expect an answer, but I knocked on the door anyway.

"Mac, I'm here." I announced, opening the door.

There was no answer, there wasn't even anyone there. Only a letter on the nightstand, it seemed to shine in the sunlight.

I picked it up gingerly and opened it.

My heart sank, shivers ran down my spine. If my heart could stop of its own accord , it would've stopped then. My worst fear had been realized.

**I have your friend, I want to meet you in the Petalburg Forest tonight. If you plan on seeing him again, come alone.**

**Let us end this.**

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: The Meeting

It was a cold dark night in Petalburg Forest, every raspy lungful of air I breathed in only made me colder. A occasional cry from a random Pokémon would startle me as I shuffled through the forest nervously. I was trembling furiously, not from the cold but fear. My heart was working overtime, adrenaline was coursing through my body. I desperately wanted to find shelter from the cold, but there were important matters to attend to.

It wasn't long until I arrived at our meeting place, a cave that seemed to continue into pitch-black darkness, it seemed just tall enough for a man to walk through. Instantly my fear arose, the Claustrophobia. This was a small cave, barely big enough for a man. I feared the suffocation and lack of air. I sat down warily, it took me an hour to compose myself.

"As long as it's open there is nothing to fear," I told myself. I sent out Treecko for moral support.

He shivered from the cold and looked up at me. He glanced at the cave and then at me and knew my dilemma, nodding confidently he climbed my back to rest on my shoulder.

With increasing difficulty, I walked in the cave. Every step I took was difficult and required effort, but soon enough, the darkness was diminished by a dim yellow light.

There stood the man holding a lantern in one hand, he smiled coldly at me. He was stilling wearing the same clothes from my last encounter with him, his red hair lit up in the light almost glowing in the dark, the Pinsir which haunted my dreams stood behind him.

"So you did come after all." He said jokingly. His voice spoke of menace, there was a tone of unrivaled confidence in himself that seemed to accompany that voice. It seemed as if he spat every word, that it was a blessing to the likes of me.

I didn't answer, I don't think I could've then.

"You proved to be quite a chore to find." He continued, "You have a knack at getting out of a tight spot. But there are ways to flush a Ferret from its den." He said triumphantly, he beckoned the Pinsir which stood behind him, the Pinsir revealed Mac from between his pincers.

He was twitching which told me he was still alive, for now. He wasn't going to last long with that Pinsir.

"Wh-Who are you?"I demanded, but with the tone of my voice it almost seemed as if I was begging him for an answer.

"Me?" he said in mock surprise. "I am your killer, the last person you will see in your pathetic life. But you can call me Guillotine."

Somehow, knowing his name even a nickname seemed to lessen my fear of him.

"Why do you do this?" I asked. "You aren't evil, I can see it in your eyes!" I said, thinking that I could reason with him.

He seemed to hesitate, taken by surprise at my claims. His eyes flashed in confusion but were quickly hidden behind a curtain of menace.

"SHUT UP! That does not concern you!" He yelled.

"Now I would enjoy killing you slowly for the trouble you've caused me, but the night is short and I still have some targets to dispose of. Let us end this!" He said cackling.

"I won't go down without a fight!" I said angrily, my voice trembling. "Go Treecko!"

Treecko jumped down from his perch on my shoulder to get ready to fight.

Guillotine laughed in amusement at the prospect of his prey fighting back. His eyes flashed in amusement, like a lion toying with its prey before devouring it.

"Hahaha! This will be fun!" he laughed. "Pinsir!"

The Pokemon glared at him and reluctantly stepped up to fight. Treecko suddenly glowed white, The whole cave was illuminated, I shielded my eyes to protect them from the glare. When I finally regained focus I saw a unfamiliar figure standing in Treecko's place.

It seemed taller and built stronger, yet it shared Treecko's colors. He looked like more of a raptor than a lizard. Blade-like leaves stemmed from his arms, legs and head, his eyes had a more fierce glare than before.

"Treecko?" I asked dumbfounded. The Pokemon looked back at me grinning.

My Pokedex turned on, its light shining from my pocket.

"TREECKO EVOLVES INTO GROVYLE WHEN IT HAS ENOUGH EXPERIENCE." The Pokedex stated, in a muffled voice.

"It'll take more than a light show and a overgrown lizard to save yourself! Pinsir, finish this!" He howled.

"Grovyle, watch out!" I called out in warning.

But Grovyle didn't need my warning, he easily sidestepped the attack. He moved with such grace and speed it almost seemed as if he was dancing. The leaves at his arms elongated into glowing green blades, using them he slashed at the Pinsir savagely.

"PINSIIIIIIIIIRRRR," it shrieked under the barrage of slashes.

I watched in awe at the power of Grovyle and was happy to see the smile disappear from Guillotine's face. The Pinsir meanwhile, tried to grab Grovyle's blades but failed after he parried the lunge.

"Grovyle! Use Absorb!" I called.

The green tendrils erupted from Grovyle's leaves and intertwined the Pinsir, Grovyle smiled triumphantly. With a huge heave, he tugged the tendrils binding the Pinsir and sent him flying to the wall. With a loud thud, the Pinsir lay there defeated and unconscious.

"I think we're done," I said confidently . Grovyle growled at him to emphasize the statement.

"On the contrary, we have just begun!" He contradicted pulling out a gun from his pocket.

"You really didn't think I was going to leave this to a _battle_," He laughed. "None of you are going to leave alive, Including your friend." He announced.

I froze in fear, we were all in severe danger now. He pointed the gun at Grovyle,

"Your pet dies first!" He said pulling the trigger.

I quickly pulled out his Pokeball and returned Grovyle, the red beam engulfed him just before a bullet pierced the ground he was standing on. I held the ball containing Grovyle warily, that was a very close call.

"Fine! YOU first!" he said, and shot towards me.

I narrowly dodged the bullet and hid behind a large jagged rock jutting from the ground.

"You think you can hide forever? Then your friend shall pay! His death will be slow. Pinsir, come here! He called, beckoning the fallen Pokémon over, it got up tiredly and lumbered over to him. During the standoff, it had apparently managed to recover some energy.

It reached down to the limp body of Mac and picked him up by the pincers. The Pinsir began crushing him by the neck. Suddenly, Mac awoke from his trance, screaming in pain. I peered over to witness the spectacle, he struggled and clawed at the killer, trying to free himself from the embrace. He grasped the pincers as blood began to spurt from his neck and run down him. His screams echoed across the cave and penetrated me. It was almost as if a thousand knives were cutting my flesh, the pain was unbearable.

"WAIT!" I called, "Me first." I said rising from behind the rock. I didn't feel like a hero, I don't even think I did it to save Mac, rather to escape those screams of pain… and my own cowardice.

Guillotine pointed the gun at me, when suddenly sirens blared and lights flashed. A look of horror graced the man's face, he had been discovered, someone had heard the commotion.

He still had the gun pointed at me, I knew it would be impossible for him to kill me and get away in time.

The sirens drew closer.

His gun arm trembled, he lowered the gun slowly.

"Don't think I'm done, you will die." He growled, pointing at me. "Your friend on the other hand already is." He laughed.

It was true, the Pinsir threw him in a bloody heap. Blood seemed to pour from the punctures on his neck. A look of shock was on Mac's face.

The sound of the sirens was very loud now…

"I make my leave, and just to make sure the work is done…" he trailed.

"PINSIR!" It shrieked pounding the wall, the cave began to rumble, chunks of rock and debris began to fall from the ceiling.

My Claustrophobia arose again, the entrance could be blocked! Everything in my mind was wiped clean as I made a beeline for the exit. Just as I got to the entrance, a huge rock fell sealing my doom. The only thing keeping me calm before was gone.

It took me a few minutes to register the situation, and then my head went blank. My eyes lost focus and I began to sweat violently, my breathing was quick and labored, I felt lightheaded and dizzy. I was losing control of my body, trembling furiously, I clutched my head in fear. I ripped off my shirt hoping to relieve the feeling of suffocation, but slowly I felt tired and exhausted. I began to slip into darkness, I was going to reach for Grovyle's Pokeball to save Mac when I collapsed. I could faintly see Mac gasp for air, he was dying. I began to fall into darkness, a terrifying mysterious darkness.

The sirens were at the cave's door.

"_Over here! They're over here!"_

Too late, he was dead. As I succumbed into darkness, all I could think of was how I failed a friend, how I contributed to his death. I had left Mac to die.

His last words to me echoed in my mind,

"_You owe me one..."_

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Guilt

"Where am I?" I inquired as I drifted slowly in emptiness. The past terror and pain was gone, and I felt surprisingly calm. The atmosphere was mysterious yet peaceful, I could've gotten used to that.

"I suppose I'm not dead," I decided. To be frank, I wasn't very happy about it either, my life in the past few weeks was a rollercoaster of chaos and terror and the one friend how helped me was dead because of me. I would only miss Treecko - Grovyle- we had become such good friends.

However, it only took a low hissing sound to break my thoughts.

I turned to glare at my hated foe, or my biggest fear. Its pincers snapped impatiently, it wanted to finish me, like it had tried in so many dreams before. Its short brown body seemed to shiver in anticipation to snuff another life. The long flat teeth did the wave in excitement. It seemed to be more realistic than his predecessors. The bloody corpse still lay behind it, puncture marks decorating its neck, and its blood coated the pincers.

I quickly reached for Grovyle's Pokeball at my waist only to find myself grapping air. I had forgotten I was in a dream. I was alone and helpless.

The hissing intensified as it came towards me.

The huge pincers opened wide to crush me.

Its thin clawed arms outstretched to grab me before I run for it. The hissing was becoming very loud now…

Just before it could pounce, a roaring flame engulfed the monster hiding it from view. I could only stare in shock at the scene before me. The roaring red-orange flames swirled around the Pokémon as it screeched in pain. It hands raised to the sky and teeth flailing wildly, it disappeared into thin air, leaving a slight singed smell in it.

I turned to look at my savior, and was surprised to see what it was. A small figure, about the size of Treecko cloaked in flames. All that I could see through the flames was two small red eyes staring at me. Then with a swirl of flames, it also disappeared.

And as if things could get even weirder, a small hole peeked in my surroundings. And gradually, the hole became larger and larger, until I was able to clamber through into consciousness.

Suddenly I found myself lying in a warm bed, the neon lights on the ceiling blinding me. I could hear a rhythmmatic bleeping sound coming from a machine next to me. Figuring that was my heartbeat, I got up warily, the smell of hygiene and sterile tools almost intoxicating. A young blonde doctor was standing by the bed, a pair of glasses was perched at the end of his nose. His eyes looked at me in annoyance rather than concern.

"The sleeping beauty awakens," the doctor announced. "How are you feeling?"

I scowled at him, "Terrible," I managed, my voice cracking.

"Of course, after your fit in the cave, not to mention the seizures in the ambulance, they could barely restrain you," He mumbled grumpily, it was obvious I was keeping him awake.

"Where am I?" I asked, repeating my question from the dream.

"In the Rustboro City Hospital, it was closer than Petalburg from your location." He explained, "And now I have some sleep to catch," he grumbled, turning to make his leave.

"Wait!" I called after him, "What happened to my friend,… is he dead?" I asked hesitantly.

The doctor paused at the door, his arm clutching the frame. His head disappeared behind his arm in shame. It was almost as if he wanted to leave before I asked that very question.

"No, but he is in a very bad condition. He lost a lot of blood and he suffered a severe trauma to the head." He said quietly, With a flash I remembered his bloody mangled body thrown at the cave wall by the Pinsir.

But I felt like there was more to tell, like he was holding something back.

"Well, what's wrong then?" I demanded.

"He…. he's in a coma." He managed, I remembered seeing his mangled body on the cave floor. A look of shock graced his face.

"We managed to stop the bleeding, but he was hit very hard on the head, by the time he got here, he was already in it."

My heart sank, I ducked my head in my knees to steady myself. It was _my_ fault he was like this, if I had not fainted inside there; maybe I could've done something or helped him. Grovyle could've dug through there, maybe I _was_ to blame. I felt a certain self-loathing, to myself, and to my damned Claustrophobia. I had fainted when a friend needed me the most.

Then I remembered the man –Guillotine-, he caused this, he kidnapped him, he had Pinsir attack him. Maybe this wasn't my fault only, maybe just partly mine. I suddenly felt a surge of hatred course through me, the fear of him was replaced by pure hatred.

The doctor gave me a sad look and left the room hurriedly his footsteps echoing across the empty hall. I kept my pose for a while before I found it in myself to look up. Surveying my room, I could see my clothes were hanging on a chair in the corner. Wires ending in suction cups were stuck to my chest, I ripped them off angrily and went to change my clothes, I had to see a friend.

After getting dressed I began searching for Grovyle's Pokeball. Luckily, I found it at the my belt undisturbed. I left my bag at the room; I would get it later and went to the front desk. The lady pointed me to Mac's room, which was down the hallway and to the left two rooms down.

I walked down the hallway in a quick stride, fighting the urge to run to get there. Strange noises seemed to come from the hallway, people shouting, cameras taking photos and the grunts of people being shoved.

I turned the corner to find a huge crowd of people in front of a room, stuffing their faces and cameras against the window to snap pictures of the patient inside.

"Must be some celebrity," I muttered, as I began looking for Mac's room, but a news report from a lady in front of the room stopped me in my tracks.

The pretty blonde news lady was dressed formally and was holding a mike in front of her as she relayed the news in a strong confident voice.

"Here in this room lies the challenger to the elite four Mac Turner," The lady said, _Mac? _The same trainer, impossible, I couldn't imagine Mac the carefree guy a famous trainer. I was tutored by pro, yet I didn't feel proud, I was furious. I hated Mac for not telling me and myself for his condition.

"Mac Turner was headed to Petalburg City to visit his family before heading to Ever Grande City to compete in the Hoenn league when disaster struck, he was found -unconscious and bleeding- along with another unknown boy in a collapsed cave." The reporter explained, "Our sources have informed us that the investigators suspect the two trainers were battling when the cave collapsed, luckily some locals heard the commotion and called the ambulance. No official statement has been released as to the boys' conditions or the cause of the collapse, but doctors have informed us that the boy and Mac are both alive. We will stay here however, awaiting news, this is Gabby Gold signing off," The news lady concluded.

I stood there in shock, my jaw had already dropped. Mac was a famous trainer? This changed everything, this was why he was so good at battling and teaching me, Mac was a pro battler. Now he was in a coma, who knows when he would awake, if ever. Not only have I almost cost him his life, but also his career. My self-loathing intensified and my hatred towards Guillotine grew, he was going to pay.

I knew it would be impossible to see Mac in private with the mob of reporters, so I took a seat and waited for them to leave. It took longer than I thought, but the crowd gradually thinned out and then finally dispersed. When there wasn't anyone left, I got up and headed for the room.

The cold doorknob yielded when I turned it and the door swung open, revealing Mac in his weakest of times. His normally tanned skin was pale and his head was bandaged, his long black hair was a rat's nest. A long tube sprouted from his mouth; giving him oxygen, he couldn't even breath on his own. I couldn't believe my eyes; the once lively helpful friend was lying in a bed, helpless.

He seemed so _fragile_, as if he would crumple to dust from the lightest touch. He was weak, helpless, some would say pathetic. As I stood there beside his bed, looking upon my mentor, I made a decision. One I would regret, one that would send me from chaos to pandemonium, I would have revenge. I was_ partly _to blame -my fear had doomed him-, but I would get rid of the man who had the bigger hand in this, Guillotine.

Hot searing tears slid down my face, my vision blurring from it. I was trembling violently, my fists balled so that my nails cut into my skin.

"M- Mac…I'm sorry," I managed in between sobs, I felt ashamed to even stand next to him.

"Excuse me?" A heavy manly voice behind me asked. "I'm here to give a Mr…" He consulted his chart hesitantly, "Mac? His antistatic."

I dried my tears with my sleeve. "Yeah, that's him," I said pointing at him.

"Alright, let's get this over with," he said flashing a surprisingly dark smile, he brandished a syringe full of dark purple liquid. The doctor was pretty tall and muscular, he was wearing scrubs and his hair was covered by a surgical mask for some reason.

I wanted to stay next to him for as long as possible before I left to hunt down Guillotine. So I stepped back from the bed to let the doctor administer the medicine.

I would leave tomorrow, Guillotine was going to pay for his actions.

END OF CHAPTER NINE


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: The Hunter is Hunted

The doctor advanced on the still form of Mac, he readied the syringe that held the purple anesthetic. That was what he was here for , after all. But it's strange that a comatose would need a anesthetic at all, it wasn't like he was in pain, and what color were anesthetics, anyway? I was never one to be overly suspicious, but this seemed all to fishy.

"Whoever tried to kill this boy never finished the job," He muttered darkly

_"He had better shut up before I have Grovyle cut his tongue out". _I thought quietly. This doctor was just getting weirder and weirder.

Despite my suspicions, I didn't stop the process; for fear of being wrong, that was until I discovered I was right. I vaguely remember reading about poisons once, one of the most deadly -Arbok poison- was the same color of the supposed " anesthetic ". A lock of red hair peeked from under the surgical mask on his head, and that was all it took.

A surge of rage and hatred coursed through me, it sufficed me, gave me bravery I had never known before. I hated him, I loathed him, I wanted to kill him.

In a matter of seconds, I scanned the room and a scalpel caught my eye. Its short silver blade glinted in the light. I grabbed the small weapon and buried it into Guillotine's shoulder. Guillotine, who was still trying to poison Mac howled in pain. He turned on me, his face a mixture of surprise and anger, he had never anticipated an attack, much less from me.

He quickly pulled out the blade which was coated in dark red blood and threw it across the room, he then swatted me away and ran out of the room hastily.

The shock of the hit dazed me, I shook my head to regain focus and got up warily. My vision was still blurry when I pulled out Grovyle's Pokeball and chased Guillotine down the hall. As I ran down the hall, I noticed the same doctor who was tending to me earlier. I yelled at him to check on Mac and continued my chase after Guillotine.

Adrenaline pumped in my veins, I felt oddly glad that Guillotine had tried to poison Mac, it only made finding him easier for me. Vaguely I could see Guillotine's tall figure run through the normally quiet hall, ducking nurses and doctors, and knocking down tools in his panic to escape.

Guillotine entered the stairwell quickly with me hot on his heels. Security must have been alerted and waiting for him downstairs, so he headed to the rooftops. I heard the rooftop door open and slam loudly, he was up there waiting for me. He probably was planning to kill me there, but I didn't think of that when I opened the door after him.

I faced Guillotine once again, but this time was different, I didn't fear him. He stood there by the edge clutching his shoulder in pain where I had stabbed him. His appearance hadn't changed since our last meeting, his teeth were bared in a painful grimace.

"What you did back there was brave, little mouse," He snarled. "Brave and stupid."

I didn't respond to his taunts, I stood my ground glaring at him and readied Grovyle's Pokeball.

"Pinsir!" He called, "Come here." At his call, the Pinsir emerged from the shadows behind him, it teeth bared and its pincers snapping. Its seemed to emerge from the shadow itself, as if the shadows had solidified to make that, that _thing_.

Without a word, I threw the Pokeball into the air where it exploded releasing Grovyle. It struck me how much he had changed, he seemed more confident in himself now. Grovyle growled angrily and readied its blades to fight. But there was one question that nagged at me, I needed the answer before we battle.

"Why did you try to kill Mac?" I asked abruptly, "He's in a coma and helpless, tell me why." My voice was firm and demanding.

Guillotine seemed to be caught by surprise at my question, even more by my tone, yet he regained his composure and answered in a calm voice that mimicked a Seviper's hiss.

"Because I was planning to kill you both." He answered.

"What?" I blurted, "But you said you would release him!"

"I never said that," He purred. "Do you actually think that I would allow both of you to live and tell every fool out there? Even if you had died, I would have killed your friend too, for making the same mistake you did, seeing something you shouldn't have seen."

Then it struck me, this man wasn't good at all. He was a murderer, scum. The innocence I had seen in him from my first encounter was simply a trick of light or something, this man was a pure-blood killer. Nothing more nothing less.

As if reading my thoughts, Grovyle launched himself at Pinsir beginning the fight.

"Grovyle, use Absorb!" I ordered, on cue, the tendrils from the blades at his arms intertwined the Pinsir. But it had become wiser, it broke the bonds and began punching Grovyle savagely, but it made a mistake at trying to slash at Grovyle with its long claws. Grovyle grabbed the claw and flung the Pinsir across the roof, Judo style. The Pinsir struggled to stand on its feet, now was the chance.

"Absorb!" I called, and this time it intertwined the pincers, Grovyle yanked at the bonds, forcing it to the ground as if it were praying. Then Grovyle yanked again, sending the Pinsir flying towards him.

"Leaf Blade!"

A blade came out and slashed the Pinsir, knocking it out. Grovyle picked up the pathetic heap and threw it at Guillotine's feet, he looked up at us in indifference. As if this was a minor setback.

"Impressive, but…" Just as he was beginning to pull out the gun, Grovyle appeared and knocked it away, sending falling from the roof. In a flash, Grovyle had Guillotine cornered at the wall with a sharp blade at his neck.

For the first time, I was the hunter, I could threaten and deliver. For the first time, Guillotine's usual mask of menace and threatening calm was shattered, revealing a face of true horror and surprise. Despite our triumph, I still felt angry, furious. I walked up to him, at a slow easy stride and brought my face close to his, my eyes narrowed to angry slits.

"You ruined my life, almost killed me and destroyed my friend. Give my one reason for me not to kill you right now." I snarled.

Guillotine eyed Grovyle's blade at his throat, he knew as well as I that one a small twist on Grovyle's behalf would turn his head into a soccer ball at my feet.

"Do you know why I followed you all this time, huh? Do want to know why I tried to kill that man?" He said weakly.

END OF CHAPTER TEN


End file.
